Bulgarian environmental NGOs hanged a banner : "ARDA DOES
NOT WANT A CA$CADE" during the official "ceremony" of the first sod of
Madan dam, which is one of the three planneddams of the Gorna Arda cascade. The "ceremony" was opened by the Prime-ministers of Bulgaria
and Turkey. There were also representatives of the Bulgarian National Electricity
Company and the Turkish "DzheilanHolding", which are the investors in the cascade. Turkey
takes part with half of the investments for the project and the commitment
of the Bulgarian Government is to exportelectricity instead, within the so called "electricity
for infrastructure" transaction.

Dressed in black clothes with "STOP"signs on, the environmentalists
symbolized the neglection of publicparticipation in the decision making process linked
with the construction of the cascade. Their arguments against the construction
of the cascade are:

- There was not a complete Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) of the whole object of the Gorna Arda cascade. EIA was made only
for Madan dam, excluding the other two dams. Thisviolates the Bulgarian legislation on the EIA procedure.

- Protected by the Bulgarian Nature Protection Act and
the Bern's Convention for the protection of the European wild flora and
fauna plants' and animals' endemic and rare species representatives will
be threaten with extinction, such as Haberlea rhodopensis and Ciconia nigra.

- Arda river is the only one remaining big river with
natural upper current in the Southern Bulgaria, which is among the richest
biodiversity regions in the country with 22 kinds of orchids.

- The temporary employment of the local people during
the building of the cascade cannot be used as an argument for the solving
of the social problems in the region. Such an argument contradicts with
the sustainable development principles. The eco-tourism could be one of
the best solutions to the unemployment in the region.

- The constantly increasing amount of money, which Bulgaria
has to pay for the construction of this cascade can be invested in energy
efficiency programmes. Such a measure will avoid the construction of new
generation capacities (without harming the electricity consumption
and export)and will improve country's position in front of the European
Union.

The Bulgarian environmental NGOs insist the construction
of the Gorna Arda cascade to be re-considered immediately. They require
the decision making institutions to act according to the current Bulgarian
legislation and to examine alternative variants for solving the social
problems in the region.

PRESS RELEASE FROM SEK "KLUB GAJA", 4th November 1999.The Polish Ministry of Environment on 3rd November had
to make a decision about whether to support the building of a proposed
dam at Nieszawa Ciechocinek on the lower Vistula River. Only pro-dam
representatives were invited to the meeting. Uninvited, but also
attending the meeting was representation from the Ecological and Cultural
Association "Klub Gaja" who, together with WWF, spoke in opposition to
the building of this dam.

Vice Minister of the Environment Marek Michalik said that
whilst it was considered that the building of this dam at Nieszawa Ciechocinek
was a good idea, it was obvious that there was opposition to this.
Wishing the decision to be made in concensus it was decided that it was
not possible to make a decision at this time due to obvious opposition.

In "Klub Gaja's" opinion this shows the value of lobbying
at this time.

A FINAL decision on a site for the controversial Epupa
hydropower schemehas now been postponed till next year.Namibia and Angola failed to meet as scheduled to consider
recommendationson which site on the Kunene river to build the proposed
dam.Acting Director of Energy in the Ministry of Mines, Fernando
Vahekeni, onFriday ruled out any chance that the two sides would
meet this year.The war in Angola is preventing Angolan government representatives
fromconsidering the project.But Vahekeni would not be drawn into commenting on behalf
of the Angolangovernment.

NAMIBIA'S PLANS HIT

Namibia had hoped that a firm decision on the site would
be taken bymid-year so the first phase of development could begin.This includes mobilising funds, tendering, measures to
lessen the impact ofthe construction of the dam on local people, possible
compensation, and thefinal drawing up of plans.Earlier the Director of Energy, Paulinus Shilamba, said
the continuedpostponement of earmarking a site would definitely affect
several keyNamibian programmes.These are said to include the Haib Copper Mine which
will need 180MW,Scorpion Zinc Mine 70MW, Walvis Bay export processing
zone 50MW, OkahandjaManganese Smelter 130MW and "many others"."All these projects put pressure on us. And we are importing
up 70 per centof our power from South Africa at the moment while our
power demandscontinue to rise. By 2006 we will have need for additional
power," he said.Namibia favours the Epupa site while Angola is pressing
for the Baynes site.The Angolans are believed to be keen on Baynes because
it will mean theywill be able to renovate and regulate the Gove dam which
was damaged duringthe civil war and has not been regulated since 1975.The Namibian Government contends that the Baynes site
is too small, despiteits environmental and social advantages compared to other
sites considered.In contrast the Epupa site is regarded as a prestige
site by Namibia.Namibia also cites the uncertain peace situation in southern
Angola, andthe millions of dollars needed to repair the Gove dam
as factors in favourof the larger Epupa site.The final report of the feasibility study by a consortium
of Namibian,Swedish, Norwegian and Angolan consultants states that
the environmentallymore damaging Epupa Falls dam site would be the more
economically viableoption for the controversial project.The Baynes site, some 40 km downstream from the Epupa
falls, is considereds less likely to be economically viable. This is because
the operation ofa hydro-electricity scheme there would be dependent on
the regulation ofthe flow of the Kunene river by the war-damaged Gove
Dam.Acknowledged shortcomings in the draft final report -
which had to beaddressed before the completion of the final report -
included theincomplete consideration of measures to lessen the impact
on the Himbacommunities affected by the scheme and who have strongly
opposed the damplans.The draft final report put the total price for the Epupa
site project atUS$539,4 million - around N$3 236,4 million - and the
cost of the Baynessite scheme at US$551,2 million (around N$3 307,2 million).

(ENS) - French environment minister Dominique Voynet revealed ambitious plans to reform the french water
laws. Under the plan, water related taxes will be introduced next year, followed
by a reform of French water law in 2001. The series of reforms seek to reinforce the polluter
pays principle in French water law and pricing as well as effectively transposing into national
law the EU's water framework directive, even though this is still being debated by governments
and the European Parliament. The taxes will be integrated into the general tax on
polluting activities (TGAP), which was introduced last year to bring together 17 existing
environmental taxes under one umbrella. New water related taxes were promised in the environment
ministry's draft budget for 2000, published last month.

Targets for the new taxes are detergents, especially those
containing phosphates, which can cause eutrophication, or over-enrichment, of
water bodies and rivers. The "most toxic" pesticides will also be taxed, as will
be gravel extraction operations. In a second element of the plan, a system of water charging
"more directed towards curing pollution than preventing it," Voynet said, is
to be amended under a revision of existing French water law to be proposed in 2001. Consumer
charges, which increased more than three-fold between 1991 and 1997, are to be
stabilised. The minister is also proposing to clarify the charging system imposed by municipalities
and to introduce mechanisms to encourage them to invest in more sophisticated water
treatment equipment. Industrial and agricultural users will have to pay more
for water. Farmers will have to pay fees for excess use of nitrogen fertilisers as well as
for water use. Nuclear plants will also be taxed as they increase water temperature. Voynet has proposed a "national fund for water solidarity"
to finance common initiatives across France's six main river basins. A "high council" for
public water services will be created to arbitrate in disputes between municipalities and consumers.

A federal judge in Cuiaba' yesterday suspended the licensing
process forthe Araguaia-Tocantins Hidrovia, following new allegations
that criticalfindings by scientists contracted to carry out the Environmental
ImpactAssessment were deliberately covered up in the final
document presented bythe Brazilian Transport Ministry to Brazilian environmental
authorities.Lawyers for the Socioambiental Institute in Brasília,
representing Xavanteindigenous communities, obtained the court order.

Judge César Augusto Bearsi suspended a series of
public hearings, the firstof which was to have taken place today. In his decision
he stated"frankly, a project of this size cannot be based on a
farce, nor can theresults of studies be presented to the public, leading
all to believe theyare real and serious, when in fact they were adulterated.
If the publichearing were permitted to take place, the public would
know only thosefacts "chosen" to show to them rather than the complete
studies carried outby qualified professionals.

However, the protest has prompted a security review by
British Airways,which sponsors the wheel, officially known as the London
Eye. Aspokeswoman said security will be "very different" when
the wheel is inoperation.

Site managers said there was little they could have done
to stop theprotesters, who scaled the wheel in about half an hour
by climbing amaintenance ladder.

Tim Renwick, from project construction firm MACE, said:
"Shortof using dogs and barbed wire here, there is nothing
we can do. We can'tstop them coming in by river."

The wheel, which affords spectacular views over the capital,
reached itsfinal position last Monday.

Due to open on Millennium Eve, it is London's fourth-tallest
structure andwill stay in position for at least five years, with a
capacity to carry 15,000people a day.

22.10.99 : WWF campaign : Europe rivers
in danger

EU - Europe's rivers are being destroyed by damming projects,
irrigation and pollution from industry and agriculture, destroying species
and endangering public health, a leading environmental group said yesterday.

The World Wide Fund for Nature launched its "Living Rivers"
campaign by calling on the European Union to enact strong and binding water
protection legislation and to withhold subsidies if EU environmental standards
are not met."The EU needs to take action on a number of fronts to
restore Europe's rivers," said Tony Long, director of WWF's European Policy
Office. The EU's attitudes towards rivers would be the first test of whether
it is serious about taking account of environmental concerns.

Long said farming and regional development subsidies must
be withheld from any countries not meeting its environmental standards.
He pledged the WWF would closely monitor requests for funding submitted
by Greece, Spain, Ireland and Germany.

"The most pressing action in front of European decision-makers
now is the proposed water framework directive," he said.

"This is supposed to bring in a new era of good management
of Europe's precious rivers and water resources, but the current draft
is far too weak."

The WWF called for mandatory water charges, very limited
exemptions from the rules for the most heavily polluted rivers and a reduction
in the implementation period for the new laws, which could take as long
as 34 years to put into effect.

Europe now has just one large free-flowing river system
left untouched by dams built for power generation - Tornealven on the border
between Sweden and Finland.

The commercially valuable Atlantic salmon has been lost
completely from 124 rivers in Europe and North America.

Surveys of 1,000 river sites across Europe show that 11
percent are heavily polluted with organic matter, while nearly all lowland
floodplains in Spain have been lost to agriculture, WWF said.

(AFP) - Groups opposed to Malaysia's giant Bakun
Damproject Thursday described the forced relocation of 10,000
native people as"ethnocide" and said some should now be allowed to go
home.

"It is difficult to adequately capture in words the utter
desperation anddislocation being experienced by the indigenous communities
forciblyresettled because of the Bakun project," said a report
by the groupsentitled "Empty promises, damned lives".

"A gaping hole has been blown in their social fabric;
their culture andtheir future is in serious jeopardy."

Kua Kia Soong, a representative of the Coalition of Concerned
NGOs onBakun, told a press conference: "Why move 10,000 indigenous
people when thediversion tunnel or the new design for the dam is not
ready? It isequivalent to ethnocide."

Kua, a member of a fact-finding mission to a Bakun resettlement
scheme inthe eastern state of Sarawak on Borneo island in May,
said those who haveresettled in their new homes -- 200-300 kilometres (125-188
miles) awayfrom the dam -- have lost interest in traditonal activities.

"They don't have peace of mind even to weave baskets,
a traditionalactivity, and have resorted to alcohol," he said.

"When we talk of ethnocide, we are talking about very
visible disappearanceof a culture," said Kua.

He said that by relocating the Ukit tribe, "we are killing
the only Ukitcommunity in the world."

Kua said the resettlement area he visited at Sungai Asap
had a pre-schoolbuilding but no teachers and there was not enough land
to farm.

He said that since the size of the dam had been scaled
down due to theAsian economic crisis, those who wanted to move back
to their ancestrallands should be allowed to do so.

The Bakun dam, one of Southeast Asia's largest infrastructure
projects, hasattracted international controversy since it was approved
in 1993.

Environmentalists condemned the scale of the original
project, which wouldhave cleared 69,000 hectares (170,000 acres) of lush
forests and flooded anarea the size of Singapore -- including the burial grounds
of the tribalresidents.

The affected people are mainly from the Kayan, Kenyah,
Kajang, Ukit andPenan tribes.

In 1997 the main developer, Ekran Bhd., pulled out of
the project, forcingthe government to take over and scale down the dam to
500 megawatts from2,400 megawatts. It is unknown how much land will be
cleared.

Earlier Thursday, members of the group handed the 99-page
report and avideotape of the lives of resettled people to the office
of Deputy PrimeMinister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a member of the cabinet
committee on the dam.

The report urged the government to investigate what it
called thedeplorable conditions of the new homes.

"Establish as a matter of urgency an independent enquiry
into the way theresettlement site was planned, designed, built and paid
for, and into thewhole issue of the housing, the price and contracts,"
it said.

The report also called for transparency on the Bakun dam
project and aninvestigation into complaints by those people.

It said the lack of available or affordable food was affecting
nutritionand health and was a major cause of concern.

The report also urged the authorities to settle all outstandingcompensation and ensure lives and cultures are not destroyed.

Kua said the government could help by providing basic
infrastructure suchas schools plus opportunities to market products.

Sem Kiong, a representative of the Indigenous People's
Development Centrein Sarawak, said the government should allow those who
cannot afford tomove into the resettlement area to relocate elsewhere.

"We hope those who plan to move upriver are not viewed
by the government asrioters. Don't isolate them," he said.

14.10.99 : Turkey : Guardian on ECAs, "Depraved
debt collectors"

A shadowy agency underwrites scores of macabre schemes

The dam the Turkish government plans to build across the
Tigris river atIlisu in Anatolia has two main functions. The first is
to hold itsneighbours - Syria and Iraq - to ransom. The Ilisu dam
is big enough tostop the flow of the Tigris completely for two or three
months, withruinous consequences for the countries downstream.

The second is an ethnic cleansing operation of precisely
the kind ourgovernment contested in the Balkans. The dam will flood
one of the mostimportant centres of Kurdish culture and resistance,
forcing some 20,000Kurds from their homes.

There are several strategic projects like this in Turkey,
but you shouldknow about this one in particular. For the British government,
ethicalforeign policy and sustainable development guidelines
notwithstanding, isstill considering whether or not to help fund it.

If the government does back the Ilisu dam, it will be
just one of a scoreof macabre schemes underwritten by a shadowy and secretive
governmentagency called the export credit guarantee department.
Tomorrow is thedeadline for submissions to the trade and industry committee's
inquiryinto the future of this department. I humbly submit that
the ECGD beclosed down.

The ECGD exists to provide insurance for British companies
operatingabroad. If the host countries cannot or will not pay
for the goods andservices these companies provide, the agency coughs up
instead. It thenuses its government-backed muscle to force the reluctant
country toreimburse it, with interest. It is, in other words, a
debt collector forBritish corporations.

Like most national export credit agencies, the ECGD, has
no legalobligation to take human rights, social justice or environmentalprotection into account. It is so secretive that it refuses
even to give afull list of the projects it has supported to parliament.

The advisory council overseeing its investments is stuffed
with directorsof the companies it insures. The result of arrangements
like this is thatexport credit has now overtaken lending by multilateral
banks as thebiggest threat to sustainability and social justice on
earth.

The Ilisu dam is supposed to be an electricity generating
project, but themoney would be far better spent on upgrading Turkey's
notoriouslyinefficient transmission system. It will drown one of
the richestarchaeological regions on earth, including the ancient
city seen by theKurds as their cultural tabernacle.

To prepare for its construction, police and soldiers have
been burningvillages and forcibly evicting their inhabitants. Questioning
the need forthe dam is a criminal offence. Meanwhile, Syria and Iraq
are alreadyrumbling about the diplomatic consequences of blocking
the river. TheBritish firm Balfour Beatty wants the ECGD to provide
it with #200m worthof cover, so that it can start work on this illustrious
project as soon aspossible.

No one will be surprised if the department agrees. It
is already backingtwo nuclear power plants in China, which will provide
energy at three orfour times the cost of power from sustainable sources.
It has underwrittenIndia's Nathpa Dam, which turns out, as predicted, to
be totally useless.It has insured British Aerospace's sales of 40 Hawk aircraft
to Indonesia.

The ECGD is responsible for 95% of the debt owed by southern
countries tothe British government. It pursues its money with ruthless
determination,even when the debts were incurred for projects crawling
with corporatecorruption. As the think-tank Cornerhouse has documented,
the agency'sactivities conflict with the public policies of at least
three governmentdepartments.

The ECGD argues that its services are indispensable, as
the private sectorwill not underwrite the schemes it supports. One cannot
help wondering whynot. There is no shortage of private money: indeed the

British government, citing a shortage of public funds,
has been requestingprivate backing for its projects, under the lamentable
private financeinitiative. Could it be that business will not underwrite
the schemes theECGD supports abroad because it knows that many of them
are roaring whiteelephants?

For years, campaigners have been calling for reform of
this agency,arguing that it should apply ethical criteria to its
loans. But it seemsto me that export credit is by its very nature both corrupt
andcorrupting. There is no acceptable future for the ECGD.
It must bedestroyed.

(Third in a series of reports on global population issues
leading up tothe Dayof 6 Billion, October 12, 1999. Additional information
and resources can befound at <www.worldwatch.org/alerts/pop2.html>.)

As world population approaches 6 billion on October 12,
water tables arefallingon every continent, major rivers are drained dry before
they reach the sea andmillions of people lack enough water to satisfy basic
needs.

Water tables are now falling in China, India, and the
United States, whichtogether produce half the world's food. Historically,
irrigated farming hasbeen plagued with waterlogging, salting, and silting,
but now, with the adventof powerful diesel and electrically powered pumps, it
is also threatened byaquifer depletion.

In China, water tables are falling almost everywhere that
the land is flat.Under the North China Plain, the country's breadbasket,
water tables arefallingby 1.5 meters, or roughly 5 feet, per year. Where wells
have gone dry, farmershave been forced either to drill deeper, if they can
afford it, or to abandonirrigated agriculture, converting back to lower-yield
rainfed farming.

In India, a country whose population hit 1 billion on
August 15, thepumping ofunderground water is now estimated to be double the rate
of aquifer rechargefrom rainfall. The International Water Management
Institute, the world'spremier water research group, estimates that India's
grain harvest could bereduced by up to one fourth as a result of aquifer depletion.
In a countryadding 18 million people per year, this is not good news.

In the southern Great Plains of the United States, depletion
of the Ogallalaaquifer has already led to irrigation cutbacks.
Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, andColorado have been losing irrigated land over the last
two decades. Texas, forexample, has lost irrigated land at roughly one percent
per year since 1980.

Rivers running dry provide an even more visible manifestation
of watershortagesas growing populations take more water. The Yellow River,
the cradle ofChinesecivilization, first ran dry in 1972. Since 1985, it has
run dry for partof eachyear. In 1997, it failed to reach the sea during 226
days, or roughly 7 monthsof the year.

During the dry season, the Ganges River has little water
left when it reachesthe Bay of Bengal. India, with more than a billion people
taking the lion'sshare of the water, is leaving too little for the farmers
of Bangladesh duringthe dry season.

In central Asia, the Amu Darya, one of two rivers that
once fed the AralSea, isnow drained dry by farmers in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
As the Sea hasshrunkto scarcely half its original size, the rising salt concentration
hasdestroyedall fish, eliminating a rich fishery that once landed
100 million poundsof fishper year.

Similarly, the Colorado, the major river in the southwestern
United States,rarely ever makes it to the Gulf of California. The fishery
at its mouth thatonce supported several thousand Cocopa Indians has now
disappeared.

Today the Nile, like many other major rivers, has little
water left when itreaches the sea. Even though virtually all the water
in the river is nowclaimed, the population of the three principal basin
countries-Egypt, theSudan,and Ethiopia, where most of the water originates-is projected
to increase from153 million today to 343 million in 2050, generating
intense competition forwater.

Hydrologists estimate that when the amount of fresh water
per person in acountry drops below 1,700 cubic meters per year the country
is facing waterstress. In her new book, Pillar of Sand: Can the
Irrigation Miracle Last,Worldwatch senior fellow Sandra Postel reports that the
number of peoplelivingin countries experiencing water stress will increase
from 467 million in1995 toover 3 billion by 2025 as population continues to grow.
In effect, thesepeoplewill not have enough water to produce food and satisfy
residential and otherneeds.

Postel estimates the current world water deficit -- the
excess of waterpumpingover recharge from rainfall --at 160 billion tons per
year. Since it takes1,000 tons of water to produce 1 ton of grain, this water
deficit is equal to160 million tons of grain, a quantity only slightly less
than annual worldgrainexports of 200 million tons.

Ironically, the excessive grain supplies that have depressed
world grainpricesin 1999 are partly the result of overpumping. If
falling water tables werestabilized by a cutback in pumping, the resulting decline
in grain productionwould likely drive prices off the top of the chart.

As water becomes scarce, the competition for water between
cities andcountryside intensifies. In this competition, farmers
almost always lose. InNorth Africa and the Middle East, the region ranging
from Morocco in thewest toIran in the east, virtually every country is experiencing
water shortages. Ascities grow, countries take water from agriculture to
satisfy expanding urbanwater needs. The countries then import grain to offset
the water losses.

Given that importing one ton of grain is equal to importing
1,000 tons ofwater,this is the most efficient way for water-short countries
to import water. Lastyear the water required to produce the grain and other
farm products importedinto this region was roughly equal to the annual flow
of the Nile River. Withmore and more countries looking to the world market for
food, spreading waterscarcity may soon translate into world food scarcity.

It is often said that the competition for water among
countries may take theform of military conflict. But it now seems more likely
that thecompetition forwater will take place in world grain markets. It is the
countries that arefinancially strongest, not those that are militarily
the strongest, that arelikely to win in this competition.

If the world could move from the U.N. medium population
projection of nearly 9billion in 2050 to the low projection of less than 7
billion, water stresseswould be greatly alleviated, making the water problem
much moremanageable. Ifthe world stays on the current population trajectory,
a growing share ofhumanity may simply lack the water needed for a decent
life.

-END-

LESTER R. BROWN is president and BRIAN HALWEIL is staff
researcher atWorldwatchInstitute, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization.

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20.10.99 : Spain creates Wetland Conservation
Plan (from ENS)

MADRID, Spain, October 20, 1999 (ENS) - The Spanish environment
ministry andautonomous regional governments Tuesday signed a strategic
plan for theconservation of Spain's wetland areas, amongst them some
of Europe's mostimportant wildlife habitats such as Doñana National
Park and the Ebro Delta.Published in cooperation with ENDS Environment DailyWebsite: http://www.ends.co.uk/envdaily
}For full text and graphics visit:http://ens.lycos.com/ens/oct99/1999L-10-20-01.html

18.10.99 : Narmada: SEEKING ENDORSEMENTS!
Letter to Worldbank

Dear Friends

Below is a letter to the World Bank drafted by Paul Wolvekamp
of Both Endsin the Netherlands together with IRN and Lori Udall and
with input from theNBA. If you would like to endorse the letter please send
me your name andaffiliation (if you cannot endorse on behalf of an organization
please givean affiliation (eg university or company) for information
purposes). Weintend to send the letter at the start of next week so
please reply byFriday 22 Oct.

Please circulate to any contacts you have who may also
want to endorse theletter.

We are writing to update you about the latest developments
regarding theSardar Sarovar Project (SSP) and to urge you to inform
us on what steps theBank will undertake to fulfil its responsibilities to
mitigate the negativeeffects of this Bank-sponsored project. We would also
like to know what isthe Bank's current and future involvement in other projects
related to theNarmada Valley Development Project. We wish to emphasise
that theGovernment of India is still legally obligated to meet
the terms andconditions in its loan and credit agreements with the
Bank on this project(see Memo from Ibrahim F.I. Shihata to D.J. Wood, March
30, 1993).

Following the submission of the report of the Bank-commissioned
IndependentReview of the Sardar Sarovar dam and irrigation project
(June 18th 1992),the Indian Government and the World Bank agreed in March
1993 that theWorld Bank would not extend further support for the project.
In 1995 theSupreme Court ordered construction on the dam wall to
be suspended, withthe dam at a height of 80 metres above sea level. Unfortunately
in February1999, on the grounds of false information submitted by
the stategovernments, the Supreme Court allowed the dam to be
raised by a furtherfive metres.

An NGO-fact finding team including some of the signatories
recently went tothe Narmada Valley in order to get a better understanding
of the impact ofSSP seven years after the Morse Commission's Independent
Review. The teamvisited resettlement sites as well as villages which
are to be submerged,and ones which are already partly submerged, in the states
of Gujarat,Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. From what we have seen
and learned fromvillagers and local experts the scale of social and economic
hardship andenvironmental destruction due to forced displacement,
construction worksand submergence is likely to surpass even the findings
and projections ofthe Morse Commission.

The people we met at resettlement sites had suffered extreme
economichardship and psychological trauma. Many had been displaced
under conditionsof intimidation and physical violence by government authorities.
Land oftotally inadequate quality and quantity has been made
available to theoustees. We heard numerous accounts of broken promises,
threats and neglectfrom the government authorities.

We observed that people at resettlement sites are suffering
from a highincidence of illness and malnutrition, and a sense of
mental distress anddisorientation. Communities and even families have been
separated andfragmented among numerous different sites. Because they
have lost theiraccess to the river and forest commons, people have lost
their access tofree fodder, fuelwood, medicinal plants, food and other
essential products.Unable to eke out a living in the new resettlement sites,
many villagershave even returned to their (partially submerged) original
villages.

Tribal families who previously were able to meet most
of their basic needsand sustain their cultural identity from a diverse natural
environment arenow exposed to dependency and exploitation by money lenders,
land ownersand traders, or face destitution in urban slums. We also
witnessed howthriving rural economies in non-tribal areas face destruction
due tosubmergence. Hundreds of villages, tens of thousands
of hectares of fertilearable land, forests, ancient temples and sacred burial
grounds are to besacrificed.

Years after project construction began there is still
no overallresettlement and compensation plan. It is estimated that
the number ofpeople to be displaced or otherwise harmed by the dam
reservoir, theirrigation canals, the construction colony, downstream
impacts wildlifesanctuary, catchment treatment and backwaters will be
considerably largerthan the number anticipated when the Morse Commission
submitted its report(which was also far larger than the number claimed when
the World Bankapproved the project).

The part-filled reservoir is already causing serious hardship
in thevillages we visited along the banks of the Narmada. Riverside
vegetablegardens and fields have been submerged. With no other
source of potablewater, villagers are forced to drink from the muddy reservoir
leading toincreases in gastro-intestinal illnesses, especially
among children. Thethick deposits of mud created along the edge of the reservoir
were aserious nuisance in previous years, making it difficult
to fetch water andto wash, and trapping cattle. This year the mud became
fatal: since Julytwo people, a seven-year-old girl and an elderly man,
have drowned afterbecoming stuck in the mud. The reservoir has also flooded
paths and cut offvillages from each other and from towns outside the valley.
Otherconsequences of the part-built dam are a steep rise in
malaria cases invillages near the reservoir, and increases in snake bites
and crocodileattacks.

In view of the fate of the oustees who have already been
displaced, thetens of thousands of villagers who have yet to move have
no confidence inthe capacity and commitment of the relevant state governments
with regardto resettlement and rehabilitation. The people are persistent
in theirrefusal to move, despite the hardships they face because
of the reservoir,and repeatedly state that they are prepared to face the
rising waters sinceno alternative options are available which would enable
them to continue adecent life elsewhere.

During this monsoon, hundreds of villagers and activists
stayed in thehouses by the Sardar Sarovar reservoir and bravely faced
the rising watersto show their opposition to submergence. In some houses,
the water rose toknee-height, in others to people's waists, in once case
up to the people'snecks.

Just as the number of people predicted to lose their livelihoods
to theproject have been dramatically underestimated, so has
the final economiccost of the project. When the Planning Commission sanctioned
the project,it was estimated to cost just under $3 billion at current
prices. Nowproject authorities agree the cost will not be less than
$4.5 billion.Project critics believe the actual cost will be more
than twice this.

Yet, SSP is unlikely to deliver the benefits on the basis
of which it hasbeen justified. For a number of reasons, at least one-third
of theprojected command area will not get irrigation waters.
These reasons (manyconfirmed by the Bank's own Project Completion Reports)
include:

* the overestimation of the amount of water in the Narmada
inoriginal project plans;* the exaggerated irrigation efficiency used by project
planners;* the promotion of water-intensive sugar cane growing
in the areasnear the head of the canal;* the current plans to use water for industrial and municipal
usesalthough no water was allocated for these uses in original
project plans,* the need to allocate water for the 150 kilometres of
river and richestuary region downstream of the Sardar Sarovar dam.
This region needswater for domestic, industrial, agriculture, fisheries,
and navigationuses, and to push back seawater. Yet no allowance is
made in planningdocuments for downstream needs.

It is clear that the inevitable shortfall in water availability
will befelt most by those at the tail end of the huge canal
system - the poor anddrought-prone districts of Kutch and Saurashtra in whose
name the projectis being built. Even if the tailenders were to receive
the amount of waterpromised this would still only be enough to benefit 1.6%
of the cultivablearea of Kutch and 9% of the cultivable area of Saurashtra.
Gujaratofficials claim that alternative solutions can solve
the water problems ofthe remaining areas of Kutch and Saurashtra. But if 'alternative
solutions'are good enough for 98.4% of Kutch and 91% of Saurashtra,
they must also begood enough for the remaining areas.

In 1992, the Morse Commission wrote: "The opposition,
especially in thesubmergence area, has ripened into hostility. So long
as this hostilityendures, progress will be impossible except as a result
of unacceptablemeans." The Morse Commission was right. Construction
of Sardar Sarovar hasonly been able to continue because of the unacceptable
and illegal floodingof villages and the repression of peaceful protests.
If the dam is raisedany further it is certain that the repression will be
intensified.

The Bank's initial support for SSP brought considerable
legitimation to theproject and has greatly contributed to the humanitarian
disaster which isunfolding in the Narmada Valley. We therefore request
you to inform us whatthe Bank has done and what it plans to do to ensure that
the Indiangovernment adheres to the terms of the SSP credit and
loan agreements,notably with regard to resettlement and rehabilitation.

Furthermore, we request you to inform us whether the Bank
is presentlymaking financial assistance available - for example through
agriculture orpower sector loans - to the Sardar Sarovar dam and irrigation
projects, theNarmada Sagar dam and irrigation project and/or any other
projects formingpart of the Narmada Valley Development Project, or whether
the Bank isconsidering such support in future.

In view of the Bank's role in the crucial initial phases
of this project,we consider the Bank co-responsible for the social hardship
and economicand ecological damages resulting from the Sardar Sarovar
Dam. We call uponyou to urge the Indian government to fulfil its obligations
vis-à-vis thepeople affected by SSP and to halt any further increase
in the height ofthe dam pending a comprehensive and participatory review
of the project byan independent tribunal. Disbursements and approvals
of any World Bankloans for Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra should
only be made whenthese conditions have been met.

A copy of this letter will be shared with the governors
of the World Bankand the parliamentary development committees of the respective
donorcountries.

Yours sincerely,

Juliette MajotLori UdallPaul Wolvekamp

18.10.99 : Africa's potential water warsThe main conflicts in Africa during the next 25 years
couldbe over that mostprecious of commodities - water, as countries fight for
access to scarce resources.

Potential 'water wars' are likely in areas where rivers
andlakes are shared by more than one country, according to a UN Development
Programme (UNDP) report.

The possible flashpoints are the Nile, Niger, Volta
andZambezi basins.

The report predicts population growth and economic
development will lead to nearly one in two people in Africa living in countries
facing water scarcity or what is known as 'water stress' within 25 years.Water scarcity is defined as less than 1,000 cu.m of
wateravailable per person per year, while water
stress means less than 1,500 cu.m of wateris available per person per year.The report says that by 2025, 11 more African countries
will join the 14 than already suffer from water stress or water scarcity
Nile battle

The influential head of environmental research institute
Worldwatch, Lester Brown, believes that water scarcity is now "the
single biggest threat to global food security".

He says that if the combined population of the three
countries the Nile runs through - Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt - rises as
predicted from 150 million today to 340 million in 2050 then there could be
intense competition for increasingly limited water resources.
"There is already little water left when the Nile reaches the sea," he
says. And he predicts that Egypt is unlikely to take kindly to losing
out to Ethiopia - a country with one-tenth of its income. Indeed water is already a catalyst for regional
conflict.

The Economist magazine's Africa editor Richard Dowdon
says that part of Egypt'smotivation for supporting Eritrea in its conflict with
Ethiopia is its mistrust ofAddis Ababa's plans for the Blue Nile.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has already threatened
tobomb Ethiopia if they build any dams on it, he says. There is also another potential water war in Southern
Africainvolving Botswana, Namibia and Angola.

The River Cuito starts in the marshlands of the
OkavangoDelta in Botswana before heading to Angola through
the Caprivi strip inNamibia - an area that is no stranger to
tensions and conflict between neighbours.

Grain imports

Fresh water is also becoming increasingly unusable
becauseof pollution.

But given increasing populations
Worldwatch identifies one way of easing
demands for water - importing grain.

Agriculture is by far the biggest user of
water in Africa accounting for 88% of
water use.
It takes about 1,000 tonnes of water to
produce every tonne of grain.

Worldwatch says that already the water
needed to produce the annual combined
imports of grain by the Middle East and
North Africa is equivalent to the annual
flow of the Nile.

Importing grain is much easier than
importing water, but for poorer countries
in Africa it may not be an option.

For this reason the UN proposes monitoring worldwidereserves of drinking water and establishing agreements for the use of water.